Many types of consumer care products such as disposable diapers, training pants, feminine care articles, incontinence articles, and the like, utilize an absorbent structure (retention layer) for absorbing and wicking away bodily fluids and other exudates, in combination with an elastomeric structure to achieve a form fitting garment-like product. The absorbent structures are conventionally formed from an absorbent web, typically a non-woven fibrous web material formed by known techniques which is disposed between a liquid pervious topsheet or bodyside liner layer and a liquid impermeable backsheet or outercover layer. In certain applications, portions of the liquid impermeable outercover are elastomeric to achieve some level of comfort while such articles are being worn. Such absorbent articles may also include an elasticized waistband and leg cuffs to help reduce the leakage of body exudates and to further provide improved fit to the consumer. Some conventional absorbent articles have also included elasticized containment or barrier flaps at the leg or waist sections of the article to further reduce the occurrence of leaks.
Conventional pant-like absorbent structures, such as a child's training pant, have also incorporated stretchable portions along their sides such as in the garment hip areas. Reference is made, for example, to the HUGGIES PULL-UPS disposable training pants from Kimberly-Clark Corporation of Neenah, Wis. The use of such elastomeric side panels in training pants is also described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,464 and WO 037009 which are incorporated by reference hereto in their entirety. Such conventional training pants include elastomeric side panels that are joined at side seams extending between a waist opening and respective leg openings. The seams may be permanent wherein the article is pulled onto the wearer in a manner similar to underwear. Alternatively, the seams may be releasable wherein the article may be put on and/or taken off similarly to a disposable diaper. However, with either of these types of configurations, it is not uncommon for the articles to include higher performance, and consequently more expensive, elastomeric materials in the sideseam areas, waist areas, and leg cuff areas, but with no or minimal elastomeric functionality elsewhere on the garment. For instance, it is not uncommon for absorbent articles with elastomeric materials to include LYCRA or other similarly pre-formed elastomeric film, band-like materials or ribbon-like structures in the waist and leg cuff areas, that are either sewn into or otherwise applied to the openings of the absorbent article, in order to provide some resistance against garment sagging and to assist in containing leaks. Furthermore, such materials may also include extruded high performance elastomeric materials, such as styrenic block copolymer materials sold under the brand KRATON, which usage also adds significant costs to the final consumer of such absorbent article products.
While the targeted placement of such higher performance elastomeric materials in the side, waist, and leg cuff areas addresses the need to provide articles with snug fit, and leak protection, it is often while sacrificing an elastic/conforming fit in the rest of the article. Consumers often have to rely on various pre-sized articles to accommodate changes/differences in user body size. Often, after such an article has been donned, it may lose some of its “tightness”, and demonstrate sagging with continued use over time. This may be especially evident following a wearer insult (voiding) in the article, since the acts of donning, body movement and voiding in the article create additional load demands on the article over time.
In order to accommodate the various body sizes and shapes of consumers, such as children and adults who use such products, it would be desirable to have an article that could accommodate the needs of many individuals, without having to increase or significantly increase the cost of such products to the consumers. Such products would need to provide for enhanced fit around most of, or the entire article (circumferentially), as well as provide for the typical over-extension of such products at the waist, as routinely occurs when individuals donning such products pull such products over their legs and around their waistlines. Finally such products should be constructed so as to handle the additional load demands placed on the articles following article insult.
There is therefore a need for an absorbent article which provides full circumferential stretch around the body of the wearer using the article, without solely depending on expensive elastomeric materials to achieve this objective. There is further a need for a single absorbent article which can accommodate the many size needs of consumers, while still providing for the over-extension necessary for donning such products. It is to the foregoing needs that the current invention is directed.